


Hannibal Advent 2014

by coloredink



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animals, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Angst, Backstory, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, Missing Scene, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-02-28 18:46:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 2,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2743232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coloredink/pseuds/coloredink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'm writing a drabble a day for Hannibal Advent.  I decided to collect them here.  Some of them are holiday-themed; some are not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A continuation from [The One Where Hannibal Is a Cat](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2273310).

"Hello?"

"Jack!" Alana chirped, too cheerful. "How's Graham?"

"He's fine," Jack began. An ear-splitting yowl cut him off. The connection went muffled, indistinct words punctuated by feline shrieks. 

Finally, Alana came back on the line, sounding a little breathless. "Hannibal really misses Graham."

Jack looked down at Graham, who was sprawled on his side by Jack's feet. Graham blinked up at him. "You're not taking my dog."

"I don't want to take your dog, I'm asking for, I don't know, playdates. How about this Thursday at 7:30? I'll cook us dinner."

Something crashed in the background. "All right," Jack sighed.


	2. Day 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of [throwing off sparks](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2412281).

Will jerked awake, heart pounding, mouth dry, lips chapped. The bed was too comfortable, the covers too heavy, the room too warm. Someone was in the bed with him.

"Hannibal," he hissed, and touched Hannibal's shoulder.

Hannibal woke all at once, eyes snapping into focus and body tense all over. He made an abortive move toward Will, fingers tensed into claws, and stopped when he remembered where and when he was. "Will."

"It's nine o'clock," Will said, according to the clock he could see just beyond Hannibal's shoulder. "Is it too late for dinner?"

Hannibal blinked, slow and measured. "Never."


	3. Day 3

"But I didn't get you anything," Will said, helplessly.

Beverly flapped her hand. "Don't worry about it. They just made me think of you." She gave him a sly smile and sauntered off to the other side of the room.

Will waited until he was in the car to paw through the tissue paper. His fingers encountered something hard. Ceramic.

They were dogs. Dog figurines, four of them: a basset hound, a terrier, something white and fluffy, and a German shepherd.

Will wasn't sure if he was being made fun of.

But he put them out on the shelf anyway.


	4. Day 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More from [The One Where Hannibal Is a Cat](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2273310). Warning: this one's kinda gory.

"Okay." Alana clipped on Graham's leash. "Let's go find him."

Graham pulled her down the walk, nose to the ground. Alana's heart hammered in her throat. Hannibal hadn't been outside since she'd found him as a kitten. 

Graham paused outside of a clump of bushes in the park. Alana shone her flashlight into it, and a pair of glowing eyes glared back. She yelped.

Hannibal came slinking out, covered in blood and dragging an enormous brown rat. He dropped the rat in front of Graham and began to purr. Graham, to Alana's immense horror, licked it and began to eat.


	5. Day 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A missing scene from [if you will come all the way down with us](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2119773).

Straw under the tablecloth. Three wafers at the center. Twelve courses. No meat, no milk, no eggs.

"We also set places for those who cannot be with us," Hannibal said.

Will thought about this, and set places for Jack, Alana, and, with a lump in his throat, Beverly. Abigail set one as well. Hannibal did not ask who they were for and placed a candle in the center of each one. They stood and watched the candles burn. Then Hannibal took Will by the hand, and Will took Abigail's, and they went outside, to wait for the first evening stars.


	6. Day 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place in the same universe as [A Manual on Deveining Shrimp](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1951842).

The Lady knelt to retrieve a slim package from beneath the tree and looked at Hannibal over her shoulder. "This gift requires payment."

Hannibal had found many things in his stocking, including a single franc coin in the toe, which he pressed into the Lady's palm now. He tore open the package to find an elegant black box with Japanese script on the front. Inside was a knife, the metal nearly blue, white along the edge.

"Merry Christmas, Hannibal," said the Lady.

Hannibal ran his finger along the edge, careful, so as not to cut himself. "Merry Christmas," he whispered.


	7. Day 7

When Billy was twelve, he saw a page in a book filled with black-and-white illustrations of delicate, feathery things with names like _Parmachene Belle_ and _Silver Darter_. He saved up nickels and dimes from recycling bottles and cans and helped the neighbor carry her groceries until he had five dollars for a fly-tying kit from the bait and tackle store. The materials were beautiful: rabbit skin, rooster plumage, raffia grass. By the time Christmas came he had half a dozen lures in an old cookie tin.

"Merry Christmas, Dad," he said.

Will Graham Sr. didn't say anything, but he stared.


	8. Day 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More from [The One Where Hannibal is a Cat](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2273310).

"Our lives revolve around a couple of animals," Jack said.

They had finished Christmas lunch and now sat before the fire with glasses of port. Graham lay in front of the fire, chewing his new marrow bone, while Hannibal batted around a bell that had once been a Christmas tree ornament. Hannibal had abandoned his new catnip bird after two minutes in favor of molesting the tree. It was a miracle he hadn't pulled it down.

"At least neither of us is alone." Alana held out her glass. "To companionship."

Jack chuckled and clinked his glass against hers. "To companionship."


	9. Day 9

"Merry Christmas," Will said, sliding a gift across the table to Peter. Tissue paper had been folded around it several times and then tied with a piece of shiny ribbon that looked as if it'd come off another present.

"Muh-merry Christmas," Peter said, picking it up. His eyes darted up in Will's general direction, slid away, then back down. "I-I-I didn't g-g-get you anything."

"It's okay," Will said.

Peter tore open the tissue paper. Inside was a bright pink pouch: _Yogies! Tasty fruit flavored treats made with real yogurt for hamsters/gerbils/rats/mice_. "Oh," he said, and crushed it against his chest.


	10. Day 10

Matthew woke in the hospital, in terrible pain and handcuffed to the bed, and Will Graham did not come and see him.

Matthew was transferred to the county jail, then to the state prison, and Will Graham did not come and see him.

Matthew called, and wrote letters, and still Will Graham did not come and see him.

But come Christmas, Matthew received a package: a dreamcatcher, woven with sinew and garnished with feathers, and a note: _Sweet dreams, Matthew_ in an untidy scrawl.

Matthew brushed his fingers against the large brown feathers. He knew what bird they were from.


	11. Day 11

The snow was still falling. Will's feet were bare, he was in only a t-shirt and boxers, and he was surrounded by trees. He wrapped his arms around himself and tried to retrace his tracks. Before long, he encountered a man in a suit, carrying a parcel and an umbrella.

"Hello," Will said. "Can you tell me where I am?"

The man tilted his head. "Are you a son of Adam?"

Will blinked. "What?"

"Pardon me. I meant, are you human?"

"Of course," said Will. "Aren't you?"

The man smiled. "Welcome to Narnia, son of Adam. My name is Hannibal."


	12. Day 12

"I'll hold the lights, and you'll go up on the ladder."

Will gave Jack a look. "This is your house; I'll hold the lights, and _you'll_ go up on the ladder."

Jack returned Will's look with a stern glare. "Are you defying direct orders from your superior?"

Will snorted. "No, I'm defying orders from my friend."

The pause hung inelegantly between them; the words, now spoken, could not be taken back. The men looked away from each other. But Jack did get on the ladder.

Bella poked her head out the window. "I've got hot cocoa, for when you're done!"


	13. Day 13

"Do you have frozen pizza for lunch _every day_?" Alana asked.

Beverly looked up from her Red Baron Personal Pan Pizza. "Sometimes I have Trader Joe's," she offered. "What, don't judge me."

"That's not judgment, that's pity," said Alana. "Get your coat, I'm taking you out to lunch."

Beverly took a slow, deliberate bite and chewed, grease shining on her lips. "Who's paying?"

"I'll pay," Alana confirmed.

"Then is this a date?"

Alana's mouth hung open and she did not reply.

Beverly grinned and dropped the remainder of her pizza in the trash. "This is totally a date. I'm in."


	14. Day 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More from [The One Where Hannibal Is a Cat](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2273310).

"Let me get this straight," said Jack. "The burglar broke in and shut Graham in the close. Somehow Graham got _out_ of the closet and treed the burglar on one of your bookshelves."

"Yep," said Alana. "Barked up a storm while he was at it."

"How on Earth did Graham get out of the closet, though?" Jack wondered. "Do you think he can open doors?"

Alana eyed the two pets. Graham was lying on the floor, dozing half-propped against a wall; Hannibal was kneading the dog's furry chest and purring. "I don't know about that, but I know Hannibal can."


	15. Day 15

Will felt peaceful as he left the church, candlelight flickering behind his eyelids. The street was still and hushed.

"I was surprised to see you," Hannibal said, buttoning his coat against the cold. "Baltimore is a long way to drive for a Christmas Eve service."

Will shrugged. "This one came recommended by you."

Hannibal tilted his head up. Snowflakes drifted down and fastened against the wool of his coat. "Would you like to come to my home?"

"It's late," Will said. "I shouldn't."

"I insist," Hannibal said, and he took Will by the elbow and steered him to the car.


	16. Day 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The origin of the knife in [playing the points for all you're worth](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2228862).

Doubtless Hannibal received many tiepins and bottles of wine, and he already had as many kitchen gadgets as anyone could possibly want or need. What would please Hannibal was something unexpected, and so Will went to the cutlery store, with some vague idea of buying a razor or a boar-bristle brush.

What he found was a short, chisel-bladed knife. The salesman explained that it was called a _kiridashi_ , that schoolchildren once used them to sharpen pencils, that it had excellent control at the tip. Will did not hear him; it was perfect, and he bought it, and had it wrapped.


	17. Day 17

As children, they had always received "twin" gifts: tiny t-shirts that proclaimed _Boys Rule!_ and _Girl Power!_ ; a pastel Lego set and a primary-colored Lego set; an X-Men coloring book and a Barbie coloring book. Margot never cared for any of them except the horses and preferred to play with Mason's toys. Mason never cared for any of his own toys and preferred to break whatever Margot liked.

When they were twelve, the first year they bought presents for each other, Margot got Mason a chemistry set. Mason got Margot a lump of horsemeat. In retrospect, she should have known.


	18. Day 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably the last installment of [The One Where Hannibal is a Cat](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2273310)

Alana's life was her own again--on Thursday nights, because that was when Graham came over. On those evenings, Hannibal was a normal cat. He didn't bite. He didn't claw. He was wherever Graham was: leading Graham from room to room, or grooming Graham's curly fur. Alana started having dinner parties again.

But no one could touch Graham. They could pet Hannibal or scratch him between the ears. But if they tried to do the same to Graham, the old Hannibal showed himself, cutting dinner parties short with trips to the ER.

"He's protective," Alana explained.

"He's insane," Jack replied.


	19. Day 19

Will froze as he felt Hannibal's featherlight touch against the back of his shoulder.

"A fish hook," Hannibal said. Will did not reply; Hannibal traced the U-shape with his fingertip. "This is old. You had this done when you were young."

Will dropped his shirt on the floor. "When I was accepted to the police academy."

Hannibal pressed his palm over the tattoo. "You enjoy fishing," he said. "But this has deeper meaning for you."

"To remind me of where I came from," said Will.

"The past pierces us," said Hannibal. "We swallow it, and it reels us in."

"Yes."


	20. Day 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after [sing for the damage we've done](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2630252)

It was a week away from their next scheduled conjugal visit, and so Will was not expecting it. The gift in Hannibal's hand was wrapped in tasteful green-and-red tartan paper, with a bright red bow on top of it. They sat on the bed as Will opened it.

Inside was a framed photograph of Will's dogs, with glossy coats and happy expressions, in Hannibal's living room. Will put his hand over his mouth.

"I thought it might brighten your quarters," Hannibal murmured in Will's ear. "You'll be home with me soon, however. With them. I promise."

Will closed his eyes.


	21. Day 21

Hannibal Lecter's holiday parties had been a thing of legend. A string quartet; walls festooned with wreaths of holly and garlands of pine; gift bags of chocolates and candy for every guest; and oh, the food! Stuffed quails, roast goose, baked brie, mulled wine and hot apple cider, and his always delightful canapés.

Then, one year, there were no invitations. Nor the year after that.

Not until the year Will Graham came.

"Why?" asked Will. His suit was uncomfortable. There were too many people. He was afraid to drink too much.

Hannibal smiled gently at him. "The feast presented itself."


	22. Day 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From [if you will come all the way down with me](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2119773)

After a few minutes of pleasantries, Abigail got to the point: "I'm staying here over winter break."

Will didn't answer for a few seconds. Abigail was certain that Hannibal and Will were looking at each other with dark, fathomless eyes.

"But you'll be back for Christmas Eve, right?" Will asked at last.

"Of course."

They hung up. Matteo hooked his chin over Abigail's shoulder and tightened his hold around her waist. "Why Christmas Eve?"

"It's a Lithuanian thing." Abigail turned herself in Matteo's and draped her arms over his shoulders. "But we have the rest of winter break to ourselves."


	23. Day 23

Hannibal's breath caught as the droplets hit his skin: one, two, three, in a row across the scars that Matthew Brown had left. His hands tightened into fists, but he did not pull; his teeth showed white against his bottom lip.

Will switched sides and dripped the wax across Hannibal's other arm: drip, drip, drip. Crimson spots bloomed up on Hannibal's skin, dark in the candlelight.

"Do you want to open them up again?" Hannibal asked.

Will leaned down and kissed him. The candle, held upright in his hand, dripped hot wax against his fingers, but he gave no sign.


	24. Day 24 & 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A double-drabble to finish off this project.
> 
> A mini-epilogue to [if you will come all the way down with me](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2119773).

Will rose early the day before Christmas and walked all through the house, opening windows to air out the many disused rooms. He dusted the lonely harpsichord, swept and mopped the floors, and laundered all the linens. He washed the dogs. Then he tied on an apron and began to cook the feast. There would be twelve courses, one for each of the disciples, but no meat, no milk, no eggs. He had to go slowly and look up recipes on the iPad. He didn't eat, and he drank nothing but water.

As the shadows lengthened across the snowy fields, he scattered straw across the dining table and laid the white cloth over it, with pine branches and a bundle of un-thrashed rye around the bowl of wafers, now only two. He set three places: two with silverware, and an empty one. He lit the candle with reverence and stood looking at it for a long while.

"You miss him?" Abigail asked.

He did not miss Hannibal; he carried Hannibal inside him. But Will did not say that. Instead, he took her by hand and led her outside, to stand in the snow and watch for the first evening star.

**Author's Note:**

> [coloredink.tumblr.com](http://coloredink.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [sumiwrites.wordpress.com](https://sumiwrites.wordpress.com/) (if you wanna see the books I've written)


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